snuff
1
9.6
The black part of a candle wick left after burning
- noun
- /snʌf/
- Archaic
:
mecha chamuscada
- Kalish transferred the flea to a gold snuff box shaped like a frog.
Examples
-
She gave him an ivory carving of a fist that had at one time been a snuff box.
Fiction book (1999) -
He dares not come there for the candle; for, you see, it is already in snuff.
-
And a long list of silverware, candlesticks, gold snuff boxes—all the pledges deposited with Mr. Nichols at Houndsditch.
Fiction book (2001) -
After burning, the snuff left on the candlewick was blackened and charred.
-
He carefully examined the snuff of the candle to ensure it was not too long before lighting it again.
-
The old candle had a lot of snuff built up at the bottom from many nights of burning.
Compounds
Surface Forms
Etymology
The word snuff for the burnt end of a candle comes from the old action of trimming or pinching off the blackened tip; that trimmed piece was called the 'snuff', and removing it helped the candle burn cleanly.